“Lynnfield is a town we’re all proud to call home.” Ironically, this is the first line of National Development’s (ND) advertisement for a fifth attempt at a cineplex. Not true. ND is a corporation based in Newton and the face of ND, Ted Tye, lives in downtown Boston. The reality is that ND only cares about Lynnfield as a profit center for its bottom line. Otherwise you would never hear a peep from them.
Which brings us to why they keep insisting on a cineplex despite the traffic and other public safety issues it will create for people who actually do live in Lynnfield.
Money. They tell us they will build a cineplex or an office building. But because of the way they can lease space as a cinema (i.e., as a percentage lease and making a percent of the revenue generated from the cinema), they will realize three times the money with a cinema than they could get from an office building.
Money. And as the Finance Committee can attest, Lynnfield will get the same amount of property tax regardless of what is built. This is why after being rebuffed four other times, they keep on coming back. This time with a new play book that includes perverting debate and commonsense with — you guessed it — money.
So who do you stand with? With the Newton corporation trying to buy what they want and corrupt this town a little more and inundate fellow citizens in their neighborhood with traffic (along with other negatives) or with the residents of Lynnfield? Quality of life affects all of us in Lynnfield.
As former Selectman Robert MacKendrick stated in 2013 when a theatre was proposed, “The one thing that bothers me a lot is the divisiveness it’s bringing to the town pitting neighbors against neighbors.”
And anyone who claims they can’t see the current traffic issues in and around Market Street — even without Lahey being fully leased or without the traffic an eight-screen, 800-seat cineplex will bring — must be driving with their eyes closed.
Please vote for Lynnfield and vote NO on Article 14 at the April 29 Town Meeting.
Wallace McKenzie
4 Debston Lane
